


I'm Just Trying to Play it Cool

by HolyCoconut



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: (i dont need to say this but), Bar & Bat Mitzvah, Canon Compliant, Dialogue Heavy, First Crush, First Kiss, Jewish Richie Tozier, Jewish Stanley Uris, Leetle Mention/Hint at Reddie, M/M, One Shot, Puppy Love, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris Are Best Friends, Short & Sweet, Stozier, sorry gamers, yeah georgies still dead and they still fought an alien clown in the sewers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-24 23:13:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22045987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolyCoconut/pseuds/HolyCoconut
Summary: “I didn’t have a boner, idiot.”“Ah I see… it was a heart boner.”-ALTERNATIVELY TITLED: Richie Ruins the Moment
Relationships: (Mentioned) Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier/Stanley Uris
Comments: 5
Kudos: 97





	I'm Just Trying to Play it Cool

“Ma, this shit is so stuffy,” Richie complained with a whiny voice, pulling at his tie. “Stanley didn’t have to wear a tie when he became a man.”

Maggie Tozier rolled her eyes fondly, helping Richie straighten his suit. “Everyone has different accessories, Richie.” She tightened the tie from where Richie had loosened it and gave him a wobbly smile. “You look so grown up.”

“Don’t cry on me now, I haven’t even recited God’s word yet.” Richie chuckled uncomfortably. Maggie wiped her eyes with a shaky smile and a nod.

“Be careful not to say that in the synagogue sweetheart.” She reminded him, and Richie rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, the rabbi will have my head, I know,” He sighed as his mother pulled a tallit from her closet. When Wentworth bought it for him, Richie warned them that it would probably be trashed if it was stored in his room, so it was carefully stacked away in here instead. She unfolded it and handed it to him to rest over his shoulders. It had thin blue and gold stripes on the edges of the fabric resting just above the knotted strings at the end. Richie threw it on haphazardly.

Lastly his mother retrieved a light blue yarmulke with a white Star of David stitched onto the top. Richie had refused to wear it outside of temple right off the bat. He’d seen how much shit Stan went through for being visibly Non-Christian and Richie wasn’t religious enough to want to wear it anyway. 

Richie sighed with annoyance and grabbed it when it was offered, sticking it onto his head without much care for where it sat. His mother immediately took it off and brushed Richie’s hair out first, pulling at tangles without mercy. Richie complained the entire time, but Maggie didn’t stop brushing until it all laid flat like a bowl cut.

Richie’s mouth screwed up in distaste, but she didn’t pay it any mind. She secured it onto his head with a few hairclips, nearly crying again when she looked at Richie’s reflection in the mirror.

“I can’t believe you’re already thirteen.” She said with a watery voice. “It feels like just yesterday you were running into preschool to get away from me.”

Richie chuckled quietly at the memory. He was an incredibly energetic kid, and he didn’t cry when his mom dropped him off to his first day of preschool. He had apparently briefly hugged her legs and ran into the classroom full of excitement to meet all the other kids.

“C’mon Mom,” Richie sighed again, “You can cry as much as you want in the synagogue.”

She wiped her eyes and smiled. “Oh stop it, I’m allowed to be emotional today. You’re just going to have to deal with it.” She wrapped him into a tight hug and Richie made fake choking sounds and exclaimed that he couldn’t breathe. She was used to his antics and ignored it, cooing over how grown up he is, how proud she is of him, etc. etc.

Richie wasn’t very good at handling his emotions, and having just killed a demon alien clown thing just a few months ago didn’t really help with that. If IT wasn’t holding Eddie’s death or his own death over Richie’s head, IT was scaring him out of being emotionally vulnerable with his family.

…

Richie remarkably didn’t fuck up his recitation of the Torah or any of the traditional shit either. He didn’t joke or give anyone goofy grins or roll his eyes like he desperately wanted to. Rabbi Uris seemed stunned, and Richie restrained himself from shooting a smirk his way. Stan’s father seemed nice enough, but the strict vice-like grip that he had on Stan’s life was incredibly infuriating.

Stan was the only Loser Richie was able to invite to the actual service, because of the whole ‘you can’t attend if you’re not Jewish’ thing, but he made sure the rest of his family would be at the reception. It was only going to be the seven of them, Richie’s parents, and a few cousins that Richie didn’t know well enough to name.

Stanley was wearing a dove gray three-piece suit, but his hair wasn’t gelled back because he didn’t need to look his absolute best at someone else’s bar mitzvah. He was sitting in the third-ish row, and he looked completely awestruck.

Richie thought it was funny considering Stan was slightly smirking when Richie had started reading. He’d clearly expected Richie to mess up or stumble over his words or stop completely, just as everyone else had.

The difference between Stan and everyone else in the synagogue though? The blond was blushing like a virgin.

Richie didn’t know what to make of it.

When it came time for his speech, he mostly thanked everyone for attending and tried his very best not to curse. Richie’s father traditionally thanked G–d that he wouldn’t be responsible for Richie’s mistakes anymore since the boy was recognized as a man in the community. Richie hid his laughter behind his hand.

He caught Stan’s eyes, and the blond was giving him an equally amused half-smile.

After the service, Richie’s extended family filtered out. It took a while for Maggie and Wentworth to thank everyone though, so Richie planted himself outside the synagogue on the steps. 

Derry felt a bit like a ghost town today; there weren't many people outside. It was a nice sunny afternoon and the only person Richie could see was way off in the distance. Strange.

“Hey.” Stanley appeared at his side, wiping off the step before sitting down next to him. “How do you feel?”

“The same.” Richie said, leaning his chin on his hand.

“Yeah.” Stan sighed. “That’s how I felt too.”

Richie smiled and turned to look at his best friend. “If I remember right you were angry.”

Stan huffed out a quiet breath through his nose and smiled just a little bit. “So, the same.”

“The difference between us is your speech was a big fuck you to Derry and your parents, and I went through the whole service without complaint.”

Stan looked at him then, his hair glowing golden at the edges from the afternoon sun. “Why is that, by the way? I expected you to cuss or fall on your ass.”

“I figured you might.” Richie smirked. “I can do _some_ things right, you know.”

“Once in a blue moon.” Stan said dryly, and Richie laughed.

“Yowza, you got me!” He clutched his chest and leaned onto Stan’s side, putting all his weight on him. “I’m never going to recover. How could you do this to me, Stan the man?”

“Shut up Richie,” Stan said with a grin, wrapping his arm around Richie’s shoulders. After Richie playfully struggled in the headlock for a minute, he gave up and went limp. A moment of silence passed between them and all Richie could hear was their combined breathing.

“Y’know, you really impressed me.” Stan said softly.

Richie smirked, “Yeah?”

Stan nodded with a gentle smile on his face and Richie’s heart skipped in his chest.

“Shoulda known you’d get the hots for me today.” Richie patted Stan on the cheek with a fake defeated sigh. “It’s alright, I know I’m irresistible Stanley. I can’t blame ya for gettin’ the vapors.”

“Shut up.” Stan groaned again, shoving Richie away.

Richie continued, “Did you like seeing me being a good little Hebrew Stanny?” He grinned when Stan fell silent, his face flooding red. “I can see it, you have a boner. I bet you have a Torah kink or something fucked up like that.”

“Beep Beep, holy fucking shit,” Stan wheezed, looking two seconds from passing out on the stone steps.

Richie’s grin widened. “So I’m right huh? I caught you red handed, sir!” He used his Irish Cop impression for the last bit, cackling at the resulting annoyed groan from his best friend.

“No, you are so very far from the truth.”

“Don’t lie to me, you totally thought that was hot.” Richie preened, pleased that he’d gotten Stan so flustered.

“I liked you so much better when you were being obedient and quiet.” Stan complained, making Richie stop. He felt dizzy with how quickly his blood rushed to his cheeks.

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb you heard me.” Stan mumbled, looking around pensively. Richie figured he wanted to find somewhere to look that wasn’t Richie’s eyes.

“So… I was right?”

Stan rubbed his hands over his face exasperatedly glancing behind them at the closed temple doors. Richie could faintly hear some of the chatter inside. Stan scanned the area before shifting to finally face Richie.

“Dude? You alright?”

Stan grabbed him by his lapels and pulled him in for a firm kiss. Richie just about lost his whole mind. The few braincells he had were vibrating at intense speeds until they died.

Stan pulled away audibly, his lips just a little bit redder than before.

Richie’s jaw nearly touched the floor and he breathed in sharply through his stupid open mouth.

“I didn’t have a boner, idiot.” Stan corrected fondly. Richie nodded, his mind still off in the clouds thinking about how soft Stan’s lips were.

“Ah I see… it was a heart boner.”

Stan snorted. “Why the hell do I like you?” He asked sarcastically, the fondness in his eyes telling Richie something else that his mouth wasn’t.

“You tell me Stanthony, I’m not going to analyze your bad decisions.”

Stan huffed quietly. “You’re not a bad decision.” He looked Richie in the eyes and the taller boy felt jittery, like he needed to run off. “Do you… feel the same way I do? That kiss wasn’t a joke you know, I wouldn’t do something like that.”

“I know you wouldn’t.” Richie said, and Stan’s lips stretched into a smile Richie has never seen before. It wasn’t suppressed like Stan’s usual almost-smirk-but-not-quite-a-scowl, and it seemed… lighter.

“Do you know how you feel about me?” Stan asked this time when he wasn’t given an answer. Richie looked around for people listening and found none. He was suddenly grateful for the mass disappearance of every living person in Derry.

“Of course I do. I couldn’t help but fall for those rugged good looks, Stan the Man.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Stan chuckled. “I’m not rugged.”

 _‘No,’_ Richie thought, admiring the way the light caught on Stan’s curls. _‘You’re more like an angel actually.’_

“I can’t believe you’d lie to my face, on this, the day of my self’s Bar Mitzvah.” Richie used his God Father impression and Stan punched him a little too hard in the shoulder for it, but it felt good. The sun was setting and golden hour really brought out Stan’s eyes, they were dressed their best, and it felt the same but also entirely different.

Stan was still Beep Beeping him and Richie was still going obnoxiously far with jokes and voices, but they allowed their eyes linger on the other a little longer. Stan got flustered from it, but he never looked away, like he was drinking in everything about Richie that he could. Richie could relate, he was doing the same. He’d never been allowed to look this long before.

They still sat as close as they normally did, but Stan’s pinky gently traced his wrist so subtly that Richie didn’t feel it until he looked down.

And they smiled. Richie was always smiling around him but now, _Christ_ , now it had more meaning.

Richie didn't want the day to end.

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this in my IT folder for a while, so I hope y'all enjoyed reading it!  
> I love these stupid kiddos and I wrote a whole 'nother wreck of a fic under my pseud TrashGarbage (fitting, I know,) so if you liked this please consider also checking that out!
> 
> My tumblr is holybeecoconut so feel free to 'pester' me there if you want to  
> (also let me know if I need to add any trigger warnings? i didn't think any applied but I haven't read over this fic in a while.)


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